Chart for selecting outlet-boxes and covers



H. G. KNODERER.

CHART FOR SELECTING OUTLET BOXES AND COVERS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. I8, 1920.

l ygf, Patented Sept. 6, 1921.

I CanNO. 4%s square Cai-, No. 4 Octagon CatNO. wctagon Cat. Nagfvoeffe 72I5| 5mm 72GB 9 54GB mcse Inventor: Hamer G. Krwod @rem Q 911 h III 5 OCILOT-ne/g.

HOMER G. KNODERER, 0F ENGLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY,

ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELEC- TRIO COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

CHART FOR SELECTING OUTLET-BOXES AND COVERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 6, tem.

Application led October 1e, 1920. Serial No. 417,641.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HoMER G. KNODERER, a citizen of the United States, residin at En lewood, in the county of Bergen, tate of ew Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Charts for Selecting Outlet-Boxes and Covers, of which the following is a specification.

My inventlon relates to means for use in the selection of devices having different physical characteristics, which devices must be combined to form combinations to fulfil predetermined requirements and more par ticularly relates to charts for the selection of outlet boxes and covers to accommodate various types of wiring devices.

There are many sizes and shapes of outlet boxes and covers and many different types of wiring devices on the market, and an object of my invention is to provide means which shall enable a ready and certain selection to be made of the proper box and cover to accommodate a desired type of wiring device.

My invention will be better understood from 'the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

The single figure of the drawing shows a chart having thereon illustrations of a plu- .rality of articles and coperating elements shown in perspective.

Referring to the drawing 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A. and 3B represent conduit bodies or outlet boxes. As is well-known in the art these boxes are of various shapes and dimensions and they are customarily provided with removable closures which may be knocked out to enable a conduit or armored conductor connection to be made at any desired point in the bottom or side walls. As is also well known in the art these boxes are customarily provided with threaded lugs lO to enable covers to be secured thereto. The physical characteristics of the cover vary with the type of wiring device which is to be mounted upon the cover, and the physical characteristics of the outlet box used for any particular wiring device are dependent upon certain characteristics of such device, and certain physical characteristics of the outlet box and covers to be used thereupon must correspond. In order to select the outlet box necessary to accommodate any particuused with this cover.

lar wiring d evice, a suitable key may be prepared Which may contain, for example, the catalogue number of the wiring device and v arious designations 1A, 2A, 3B, etc., to. indicate thel outlet boxes that may be used with such wiring device. Having determined the physical characteristics of the o utlet box necessary to accommodate the desired wiring device, the particular type of box desired and the proper type of cover to fit the same may be at once selected from my chart. ln this chart I have shown the covers which are adapted to be used interchangeably with each type of outlet box arranged in a column below the box, although my invention is not limited to any particular arrangement of the illustrations. The covers 1C and 1J are shown below the box 1A. The covers 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2J and 2K are shown below the box 2A and the covers 3C to 3J inclusive are :shown below the boxes 3A and 3B, while the groups of covers 4D to 4J inclusive and 5D to 5J inclusive are shown located respectively below the boxes 4A and 5A. rllhe number comprised in the designation adjacent each box denotes the physical characteristics of the cover which must be used with the box and the number in the designation located adjacent each cover denotes the physical characteristics of the box which must be For example, a 1C cover will fit a 1A box; a 2C cover a. 2A box; a 3C cover either a 8A or 3B box, etc. lndependently of how the illustrations are arranged upon the chart, the user of the chart knows at once that a box having, for example, the character designation 5A may be used "with any cover whose character designation contains the ligure 5, and conversely. The letters C, D', E, etc., identify the physical characteristics of the. cover with respect to the device to be mounted upon the cover. For example, the cover 2D represents a fiat cover of the clover leaf type adapted to receive an electrical device, such, for example, as a snap switch having securing screws with spacings anywhere from g to lg, while 2J represents a cover provided with a fiuted catch adapted to receive for example the shell of a switch or lamp socket. It is obvious that the number of illustrations on the chart may be extended to include covers adapted to accommodate as many types of wiring devices as may be desired. l have shown covers adapted to accommodate a number of different types of wiring devices merely to show how the chart may be used. In the particular chart illustrated, the covers 2C,y and 3C represent canopy type covers with 2i screw spacings. The covers 2E, 3E, 4E and 5E represent covers of the Federal type. Covers 2F, 3F,'4F and 5F represent covers of the screw ring receptacle type.A Covers 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G represent covers of the 5-notch receptacle type. Covers 3H and 5H are of the Benjamin 2-screw receptacle type. Covers 3I, 4I andI are of the standard Ames 2screw receptacle type; Cover 2K represents the deep flush receptacle type. The chart in actual practice will ordinarily be provided With legends specifying such details as screw spacings Where such spacings are not obvious, to those skllled 1n the art, from the character of the illustrations.

It will be observed that the characters C, D, E, etc., which represent given character- .istics of the cover, which define the characteristics of the device to be mounted thereon, are uniform throughout the chart. That is to say, any cover whose character designation contains the letter D 1s a clover leaf type cover and any cover Whose character designation contains the letter J is a fiuted catch cover.

In addition to the character designations heretofore referred to, a catalogue number will be placed opposite each box and cover to assist in locating the same in stock and to enable the particular device desired to be ordered from the manufacturer. Outlet box and cover manufacturers have recently agreed upon a uniform method of selectlng catalogue numbers and this fact makes 1t possible greatly to extend the utility of my chart. For example, the box which I have designated as 1A is given the catalogue number 72151, which number defines the physical structure and dimensions of the box. In like manner, the catalogue number 51C5 designates the physical characteristics and dimensions of the cover 2C. It will be noted that the letter C always designates a cover in the catalogue numbering. With this uniform system of catalogue numbering, the user of the chart, after having determined by means of the chart the particular articles needed, may order these articles by catalogue number from any manufacturer.

While I have described my invention particularly in connection with outlet boxes and covers therefor, it is apparent that in its broad aspects the invention is not limited to this particular field of utility. It is also apparent that changes may be made in the arrangement of the illustrations and selection of the character designations without departing from the spirit of my invention and I aim therefore to cover all such variations and modifications as fall Within the scope ofk my inventionwhich is defined in the appended claims.

What I claim as new and-desire to secure by Letters Patentf of the United Ststes, 1s:-

1. In a chart of the class described, the combination of a plurality of representations of articles having different physical characteristics-and a plurality of representations of elementsarranged to coperate with said articles also having different physical characteristics, certain of the physical characteristics of said elements being designed to adapt them for use interchangeably with certain only of said articles, each of said article representations having a character adjacent thereto identifying certain characteristics'of the article necessary to coperate therewith and each of said article representations having a character adjacent thereto identical with the element designation identifying the article characteristics.

2. In a chart of the class described, the combination of a plurality of representations of outlet boxes having different physicalcharacteristics and a plurality of representations of covers for said boxes also having different physical characteristics, certain of the physical characteristics of said covers being designed to adapt them for use interchangeably with certain only of said boxes, each of said box representations having a character adjacent thereto identifying certain characteristics of the cover necessary to coperate therewith, each of said cover re resentations having a character adjacent t ereto identical with the box designation identifying the cover characteristics and a character adjacent thereto identifying certain characteristics of the cover with respect to the devices to be mounted upon the cover, characters representing given characteristics of said devices to be mounted being identical throughout the cover representations.

3. In a chart of the class described, the combination of a plurality of representations of outlet boxes having different physical characteristics and a plurality of representations of covers for said boxes also having different physical characteristics, certain of the phys1cal characteristics of said covers being designed to adapt them for use interchangeably with certain only of said boxes, each of said representations having a' catalogue designation adjacent thereto identifying its physical structure and dimensions, each of said box representations having a character adjacent thereto identifying certain of its physical characteristics and a characteradjacent thereto identifying certain characteristics of the cover necessary to coperate therewith, each of said cover representations having a character adjacent tics of said devices to be mounted being thereto identical with the box designation identical throughout theV cover representaidentifying the cover characteristics anda tions.

character adjacent thereto identifying cer- In Witness whereof, Iii have hereunto set 5 tain characteristics of the cover with respect my hand this l5 day of Oct. 1920.

to the devices to be mounted upon the cover,

characters representing given characteris- HUMER Gr. KNODERER. 

